Easier said than done, right? They are meant to be hit...
To save your cymbals from cracking, your focus needs to be minimising stress on the cymbal itself. You can do this by angling the cymbals facing you, sweep across as you hit, don't over-tighten the wing-nuts, and use good felts or rubbers that support the cymbal - top and bottom. Let’s go more into 4 ways you can avoid cracking your cymbals, or at least stop cracking any more of them.
1. Angle your cymbals appropriately
Now this is something which can be somewhat controversial as a lot of drummers like to have off-tilted cymbals (facing away from the player), due to the enhanced ability to strike on the edge of the cymbal with the shoulder of the stick.
Whilst this is true, the more you put power through the edge of the cymbal on a sharp angle, the more likely you are to crack said cymbal. By angling flatter, or slightly towards yourself, you can alleviate some crack-prone actions each time you strike the cymbal.
2. Don't over-tighten the cymbals
One of the biggest reasons cymbals crack is due to the lack of mobility and freedom that the instrument has on the stand. While being tight and locked in by tightening the wing nuts is important, over tightening leads to a lack of movement of the cymbal as it is hit.
This contributes to overwear in one spot, repetitive stress on the edge of the cymbal at a certain angle, and eventually, cracking.
3. Support the cymbal
Physically, that is. Emotionally not so much. Without supportive felts, a cymbal sleeve and an appropriately tightened wing nut, the inside of the cymbals' bell will be subject to unnecessary metal on metal wear and friction which eventually leads to cracking and damage.
4. Sweep when you strike
It's not just about how to arrange the cymbal that matters; the way you hit the instrument is also important. Rather than driving the stick into the same part of the cymbal on the same angle repetitively, try and vary the hitting motion with a slight swish or sweep, to avoid adding overwhelming stress in one part of the cymbal, leading to fracture.
Rech Artist, Bailey, has his own video about some of these common mistakes, where he shows some of the more extreme versions of the above, to demonstrate what NOT to do when setting up and playing your cymbals.
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